Stop Selling and Start Leading

Practice 1Model the Way

The path to transition from being a traditional seller to becoming an exemplary leader is inward. The first step is getting in touch with your personal values and beliefs. Leaders must discover a set of principles, much like a compass, to guide their decisions and actions. In doing so, you find your voice and can speak with confidence about what matters to you. In fact, knowing who you are is essential in determining what to say yes to, and when to say no, in leading and in selling.

Yet leaders don't just speak for themselves. They also speak for their brand, their team, and their organization. Leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue. Therefore, you must reach out to others. You must understand and appreciate the values of your buyers and build a platform of shared values and aspirations. Exemplary sellers, like exemplary leaders, forge unity. They don't force it. They give people reasons to care beyond routine transactions or solutions to business needs.

Moreover, leaders deliver on their promises. You have to practice what you preach. Your actions must show others that you live by the values you profess. You must also ensure that others inside your organization adhere to the values that have been agreed to. It is this consistency between words and actions that builds your personal reputation and credibility.

When buyers observe sellers who Model the Way, they tell us how confident this makes them that sellers will deliver on promises and commitments ...